"Still Here" Exhibition To Close July 6 at National Public Housing Museum

Inaugural Art Exhibition Links Indigenous and African American Histories of Displacement 

Chicago, Illinois (June 2, 2025) – The National Public Housing Museumtoday announced that Still Here: Stories of Displacement, its inaugural art exhibition linking Indigenous and African American histories of displacement, is set to close July 6, 2025. The exhibit, created as part of Art Design Chicago, features art, archives, and public dialogue in an exploration of what intercultural solidarity looks like. Admission to the exhibit is free and open to the public through its closing date at the National Public Housing Museum (919 S. Ada St., Chicago). 

Part of Art Design Chicago, a citywide collaboration initiated by the Terra Foundation for American Art that aims to expand understanding of Chicago’s creative communities, past and present, Still Here features contributions from artists and activists Andrea Carlson, Tracey Christmas, Deborah Awwad, Ravi Arupa, Monica Rickert-Bolter, Joel Rickert, David Schalliol, Chris Pappan, Open Mike Eagle, Debra Yepa-Pappan, Akira Iyashikei, Making Chicago Home: The Politics of Print Culture, and South Side Home Movie Project. 

Still Here places historical and cultural importance on the shared stories of displacement and housing insecurity impacting Indigenous and African American communities in this place that we now call Chicago. The activists and artists featured in the exhibition tackle in their respective ways the overshadowing of Chicago’s origins as a city founded on intercultural solidarity, specifically the marriage of a Haitian-born trader named Jean Baptiste Point du Sable and an Indigenous Potowatami woman named Kitihawa. 

The exhibition has more than a dozen works in a variety of media and is divided into five thematic sections: Making Chicago Home: The Politics of Print Culture features archival documents that reflect the fight for civic inclusion and cultural acknowledgment led by Indigenous and African American thought leaders and activists. Art of “The Welcome” represents the spirit of hospitality that has been a mainstay of the Indigenous culture of Chicago. Kiki & Jean: Zhegagoynak Reclamation of Time approaches Chicago’s origin story as a radical love story that informs the city’s present and future. Picturing Housing Insecurity in Chicago features artists who encourage us to expand our definition of “home” while playing an active part in securing safe, affordable housing for all Chicagoans. Finally, music and videorooms offer visitors opportunities to experience more nuanced understandings of the reality of life in public housing, through Chicago-born rapper Open Mike Eagle’s album Brick Body Kids Still Daydream (2017) and a collection of clips from the South Side Home Movie Project archive. 

The exhibition design—by Seven Generations Architecture + Engineering (7GAE), Bodwé Professional Services company, wholly owned by the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi—blends a white box gallery aesthetic with elements of domesticity, evoking a texture of home. 

About Art Design Chicago 

Art Design Chicago is a special citywide collaboration and series of events and exhibitions that highlight the city’s unique artistic heritage and creative communities. An initiative of the Terra Foundation for  American Art in partnership with artists and arts organizations across the city, Art Design Chicago seeks to expand narratives of American art with an emphasis on the city’s diverse and vibrant creative cultures and the stories they tell. Learn more at artdesignchicago.org.   

Curator

Still Here is curated by Lucy Mensah, Assistant Professor of Museum and Exhibition Studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The exhibition is designed by Bodwe Group, whose mission is to grow the economy and legacy of the Pokagon Band of the Potowatomi. 

Support

Lead support for the exhibition is provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, with funding from the Mellon Foundation as part of the Chicago Monuments Project.

Additional support provided by Dedrea and Paul Gray, Sunny and Paul Fischer, Marisa Novara, Susan and John Russick, Mark Thiele, and the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO).

To plan a visit, and for more information, visit www.nphm.org. 

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Images Available at National Public Housing Museum Media Center

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PUBLIC HOUSING MUSEUM

Our story starts with a simple truth: that all people have the right to a home. Founded by public housing residents, the National Public Housing Museum is the first cultural institution dedicated to interpreting the American experience in public housing. Filled with history, memories, music, and art, the Museum is a welcoming community gathering place that honors the stories and experiences of public housing residents. Through partnerships and programs, the Museum also serves as a civic incubator that inspires visitors to take informed action to advance housing justice. www.nphm.org